Hyderabad blasts: Cycles used to plant bombs were rented from local shops, reveals probe

Hyderabad: The ongoing investigations into the Hyderabad twin blasts have now revealed that the cycles that were used to plant the bombs were rented from local shops. The police are scanning the footage from CCTV cameras and are on the lookout for the five men who can be seen moving near the blast site on cycles. The CCTV footage now seems to be the key in the probe.

Meanwhile, two days after the blasts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are expected to visit the site. They are expected to arrive at 11.00 am in the city.

On Saturday evening, Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe the twin blasts. Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Sharma said six special teams had been constituted for the probe and he was hopeful that the culprits will be booked soon.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are expected to visit the blast site on Sunday at 11.00 am.

Sharma also ruled out reports which said that the wires of CCTV cameras installed at Dilsukh Nagar, where the blasts took place, were cut off a few days before the incident and said police have the footage and have been analysing it. "The CCTV camera at Dilsukh Nagar was functioning till about 8.30 pm on Thursday," he said.

He confirmed that the police got information about a possible terror strike on February 16 and said additional forces were deployed in the city. "The police sincerely tried to prevent the blasts," he said.

"Our bomb detection teams have conducted over 2000 bomb checks since November 2012. Our own state and city intelligence units had conducted drills to prevent attacks. We had even asked for and deployed forces after receiving intelligence inputs," he revealed. While insisting that all the evidence was being examined, Sharma said nobody has been detained as yet. "We have not arrested anyone in this case. We are examining all types of evidences," he said.

Sharma revealed the city police had interrogated Indian Mujahideen operatives in Delhi, who had then confirmed recce of the areas. He also said that Dilsukh Nagar was under heavy CCTV surveillance with 265 cameras operating in the area. Only 15 were out of order, said the commissioner.

On being asked if the Indian Mujahideen could be behind the attacks, the police commissioner said as the investigation was not over yet, it was too early to speculate. He confirmed that the explosive used in the blasts was ammonium nitrate and the IEDs had timers. The modus operandi adopted by the perpetrators like ammonium nitrate and splinters-laden aluminium containers fitted to bicycles used in the blasts were similar to the attacks carried out by the Indian Mujahideen in the past.

Sharma said following the incident, a high alert has been sounded across the state and number of policemen and bomb detection squads have been increased particularly in vulnerable areas like crowded markets, malls and cinema halls.